Your Views: Democracy has faults but is better than alternatives

It has been said we may be slipping from democracy into a socialistic form of government. Others have said socialism really has some good points and might work.

Communism and socialism sound good as they are defined. In fact, they sound so good that addicts to power such as Stalin, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Castro have used them to “sell themselves” to gain power. Once they gain power, they forget about the “good stuff” and dedicate their efforts to whatever is necessary to remain in power, which can be much worse than the system that preceded their takeovers.

I vividly recall Fidel Castro replacing Fulgencio Batista and feeling that it was all for the best, until it got much worse. For Cuban citizens, it must have felt like being dumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.

Germany today is apparently satisfied with its governmental system, but please remember that it has grown out of the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Germany after World War II. Angela Merkel hasn’t done it for her personal gratification, or with active military force.

Democracy may have its faults, but let’s not let anyone slip one over on us.